beakdown of uses for Mic preamps

Hey I want to re-outfit my Digital studio with new mic pres and such for tracking drums into a mackie D8B into nuendo!!! A break down of companies (API, neve, Millenium ectectectect) thier uses for which type of instruments Drums guitar vox and for which styles they will do the best job for!!!! I track heavy rock, metal and death metal bands and would like pre amps that can get me closer to the idea of Metallica, Machine head, slayer, ozzy osborne and sounds like that!!!! Price really is not an issue so just give me the break downs for uses applications and istruments. ALL opinions are wanted!!!!!!
Love Curran Murphy
Smiley Sounds Studio

"I track heavy rock, metal and death metal bands and would like pre amps that can get me closer to the idea of Metallica, Machine head, slayer, ozzy osborne and sounds like that!!!!"

...in a word...NEVE. By and large, this is the sound that you desire. API's are great,but there a little to foward (aggressive, bright, ect.) and that aspect is accentuated in digital. Neves, on the other hand, tend to tame the RTop and push the bottom. Tubes could be an adjuct as well.
Bottom Line. If you can afford it...get mostly 1073's and or knock off's thereof. Get a pair of API's and at least a pair of Tube pre's (V72 or V76, Vipre, or UA-2-610, etc). The neve's re by and large the pre's that those records you mentioned wrer predominately cut on.

speaking of lucid !!! are thier word clocks as good as the aardvark sync II?????? money is not an issue but why waste it when something for less is just as good? what about thier converters verse' the Apogee 2-trak? avalon?, mecenary '69?
Keep th love and info flowing you rock master tone tweek studs!!!!!

Also...on the gear wish list for HEAVY tones (since you listed price as not an object).

Neve 1081's. Yes there class A/B, and as such not quite as fat as the 1073's; BUT they have the most ammazing and powerfull EQ section. A must to suck out 560hz on your Kick. The 107x series just doesn't have the sculpting control sometimes nescessary for Kick....so get a pair of these monsters if you can as well.